5 Vikings Players from 2023 Roster Remain Unsigned
The list of 2023 Minnesota Vikings players needing fresh employment shrunk this week when Dalton Risner rejoined the purple team for another hurrah.
5 Vikings Players from 2023 Roster Remain Unsigned
Vikings fans universally praised the move, and unless something funky or unforeseen occurs, Risner will slide back into this LG role in 2024.
Now, with Vikings mandatory minicamp five days away and Risner back in the saddle, five Vikings players from the 2023 roster remain in the NFL’s marketplace. They’re listed in ascending order of likelihood of returning to the Vikings.
5. Nick Vigil (LB)
Vigil returned to Minnesota as a depth option in 2023. It was his second stint in the Twin Cities and reunion from the Mike Zimmer era. Once a respectable starter for the Bengals about five years ago, Vigil’s career is nearing a conclusion, and he’ll turn 31 later this summer.
4. Anthony Barr (LB)
Barr returned for another hurrah in November 2023, and the timing was unthinkable. Minnesota started losing the moment he re-signed in Minnesota, though it wasn’t his fault. In fact, after Barr came back, Minnesota won just one more game — a 3-0 barnburner at the Las Vegas Raiders.
Barr’s end is near after a decade of NFL service. He may or may not sign anywhere this season.
3. Chris Reed (OG)
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might have explored Reed for a third season in purple if Risner hadn’t re-signed on Wednesday. The move would’ve checked some boxes for depth purposes. That outcome is now improbable.
Reed only appeared in two Vikings games last season. He joined the franchise in 2022.
2. Sheldon Day (NT)
Brian Flores’ defense needs nose tackle depth, so of all defensive players on the list, Day might be the most probable for a reunion.
Day played six games in 2023, a respectable amount for a reservist player.
1. Cam Akers (RB)
Akers implied on Instagram earlier in the offseason that he’d either return with the Vikings or wanted to be back. But then Minnesota signed Aaron Jones, and an Akers reunion hit the backburner.
The veteran tailback is recuperating from his second torn Achilles and will likely sign somewhere before too long. The Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts would make sense.
Meanwhile, two weeks ago, Akers posted a video on himself to social media that appeared to show the runner rehabbing at Vikings facilities.
It’s worth noting, too, that Minnesota has no clear-cut RB3 on the depth chart. Akers would be perfect for the assignment.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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